The Aristocrat's New Wife
by CrimsonPearls
Summary: Haruhi Fujioka is exhausted and feels like she is getting nowhere in repaying her debt to the host club. However, shadow-king Kyoya has an intriguing proposal allowing her to earn money even faster. A win-win deal, as he calls it. Will Haruhi accept Kyoya's terms? And what could they possibly involve?
1. Chapter 1: A Sudden Proposal

**Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Ouran High School Host Club nor any of the characters. They are owned by Bisco Hatori. This is a work of fiction.**

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><p>"Milord, when is the last time you fed your precious teddy bear?" Hikaru asked, before tossing the stuffed animal to his twin brother.<p>

"Gosh, really. It is looking a bit light on the fluff," agreed Kaoru, squeezing the teddy bear with enough force that the sunken eyes protruded from its head.

"You devils! Give me back my Kuma-chan!" yelled a furious Tamaki. "It is by no means your place to judge how I care for my child!"

"Whatever, fine," said the Hitachiins. "Catch!" they yelled, tossing the plush carelessly into the air.

Tamaki screamed in horror and scrambled to catch his beloved brown son before it abruptly hit Haruhi -the youngest host club member- on the top of her head. She stood slowly to face the culprits. "_Why_ are you throwing things at innocent people?"

"Our bad, Haruhi. We had no idea that Milord would fail so miserably at catching," shrugged the twins.

"And you call yourself an Englishman," Kaoru added.

"I'm French. French! And anyway, what does being European have to do with poor hand-eye coordination!?" the blond snapped back.

"Oh-ho! So you admit it was your fault!" the Hitachiins snickered. "Didja hear that, Haruhi?"

"Enough! I'm tired of you three acting like grade-schoolers! No offense, Honey-senpai."

"None taken, Haru-chan," replied Honey, mouthful of cake.

"You guys need to chill out! You two!" Haruhi pointed at the twins. "Go sit in separate corners! And you, Senpai!" Hearing his name, Tamaki jolted with fear, small tears filling in the corners of his violet eyes. Haruhi sighed. "Here," she said, handing back the teddy bear to its owner. "Sit on this couch. And hush, please. All of you. Just… five minutes, okay?" She sat back down at the table, exhausted, and ran her fingers through her short brown hair.

A small smile spread across the ivory face of the shadow king that stood behind her. Despite being the youngest one, Haruhi Fujioka sure knew how to keep peace in order. She was practically the shadow _queen_.

"Fujioka," Kyoya looked up from whatever he was writing in that mysterious black book of his. "You have been doing a sufficient job hosting, and your debt has decreased dramatically due to your hard work here. It is quite commendable. However, if you wish to speed up the process, I have recently devised another plan of payment for you, that is, if you are interested."

Kyoya did not fail to notice how Haruhi's eyes lit up at the talk of money and the possibility of getting out of this mess as soon as possible. He continued. "And I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that it would be quite different from your current form of work."

"Music to my ears," said the young girl, slumping a bit in her chair. She was beyond tired of being a host club employee. It wasn't necessarily her job of wooing the ladies with her "natural" charm that was exhausting, but her coworkers; being the obnoxious rich brats they were. Haruhi's eyes flicked to her Senpai, who was still sitting in his designated corner like a good boy, albeit pouting like a scolded puppy while doing so.

"That is understandable. If you wish to discuss it further, I can have one of my family's employees pick you up after school and bring you to my home."

Haruhi shrugged. "That's fine. I'm open for a little while."

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><p>* * * (Ootori Estate) * * *<p>

Kyoya's house was beyond grand, which was to be expected of such a wealthy family. _Too wealthy for their own good_, Haruhi often found herself thinking. Her eyes wandered, interested in the multiple winding staircases leading to deep hallways she couldn't see the ends of, the ornate furniture and elegant decorations, as well as the maids and servants busily cleaning up rooms that Haruhi could tell were hardly used, if ever.

"Geez, Senpai. You could feed all the orphans in China for weeks if you sold this house."

"And why would I want to do that?" Kyoya asked, a bit taken aback by this remark.

"It was just a thought. And anyway Senpai, I can see through your 'evil shadow king' act. You're not all the bad guy you pretend to be," Haruhi asserted with a smirk. Kyoya came to a halt.

"That's a very intriguing notion, in its own way," he nodded in thought.

"I mean," continued Haruhi, "If I had a house such as this one, I would be constantly getting lost and it would just become frustrating. Do you really need _this_ many rooms?"

Kyoya let out a rare chuckle and continued walking. "No, not particularly. But housing plays a large role in where you stand compared to your competitors. It would be most difficult to host business parties and hold meetings seriously if we lived in a meager commoner-sized dwelling, don't you agree?" Haruhi shrugged and mumbled something under her breath. "In any case," he continued, "You might as well get used to it, given that if you accept the job offer, you will be seeing a lot more of this home."

Haruhi wasn't too sure if she liked the sound of that. A pit formed in her stomach at the thought of possibly being a servant at Kyoya's house. There was no way in hell she would be wearing one of those frilly maid outfits. She shook the image out of her head. "Are we almost there?" she asked, tired of trekking through his ridiculously large residence.

"Yes, were are to simply turn this corner and- ah, here we are," Kyoya said, opening the tall double doors to reveal a large, modern-style room. Placing his schoolbag on his desk, he motioned for the girl to take a seat. "Would you care for some tea, Miss Fujioka? It is mauka oolong from the volcanoes of Hawaii. I found it would be appropriate, given that this season is starting to ease its way into summer," he asked once she was settled in the large navy sofa.

"No, thank you. I don't want the price of whatever fancy tea you have to come back and bite me in the butt later..."

"Unlike the other occasions, in this one, you are a guest…" Kyoya paused to see that the girl still had no interest in the warm beverage and felt no need to push something so trivial. "Alright, if you insist to resist," he nodded, sitting across from her and lifting a teacup and matching saucer prepared for him and his guest by one of the servants. "Speaking of prices and your debt, I would now like to speak with you concerning the extra means of payment. If you are in favor with this job, your hosting hours will be cut in half." Kyoya took a sip from his teacup, his onyx eyes beaming from behind his glasses. "You see, it can get so dreadfully boring and dull around here, seeing as how I'm the youngest and my parents are always at work. I couldn't help but notice the way you handle situations and people at school; I must say it is quite… captivating." Kyoya raised an eyebrow, curious to see response he would receive from the girl.

"What exactly are you getting at, Kyoya-senpai? Do you want me to be your little brother or dog or something?" Haruhi asked, sarcastic yet curious.

"Not quite…" the young man shifted to where he was comfortable in his chair. "You see, I have been thinking for some time now that someone of your maturity and intelligence would be most beneficial for me, and Ootoris everywhere."

Haruhi sat, puzzled.

"Haruhi Fujioka, how would you like to become my… significant other?"

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><p><strong>AN: Hello everybody and thank you for reading my first published fic! Please comment and feel free to offer likes/dislikes as well as polite criticism. The next chapter will be up shortly! Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: For Better or for Worse

**A/N: Listening to the OHS Soundtrack while writing this was... refreshing.**

**Thank you for those of you who favorited and followed this story! Onward to the second chapter!**

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><p>Kyoya's gaze never lost hold of the girl's. Blinking in stupor, Haruhi's large brown eyes began to search around the room before picking up the tea bag strainer from the tray and pinching herself with it.<p>

"Ouch!" she jumped.

"Fujioka, what on earth…?" Kyoya asked, surprised by her sudden action.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm pretty sure I'm having some bizarre dream, 'cause Kyoya-senpai just offered me what sounded like a marriage proposal and-"

"You're not dreaming," he assured her. "I was being entirely serious. Though, it's not necessarily a proposal with an official wedding or legal paperwork or anything of the sort. Think of more as… unity. A partnership."

Once again, the girl simply sat there, stunned, her large brown eyes identical to those of a deer's in headlights.

"Did you drink your own poison, Kyoya-Senpai?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, did you put something in the tea and then unintentionally make yourself go bonkers?"

"The tea is untainted, Fujioka. I can assure you that nothing but the finest leaves from-"

"-Then why this all of a sudden? I mean for god's sake, we're still in high school! And official or not, isn't marriage supposed to be something that you do with someone you're in love with, or at least in your case, someone of a high prestige that will better your family's position?"

"Well, isn't that presumptuous of you?" Kyoya placed his teacup on the table rather harshly.

"Not very unlike you. I can see you reasoning that way."

"Well that just goes to show how little you know of me, then, now doesn't it?" Kyoya's eyes began to narrow.

"Oh, okay. So you mean to tell me that you're doing this because you love me, then?" Haruhi crossed her arms indignantly.

"I did not mean-"

"-Why are you asking me this now?" she interrupted.

"Because I knew this would benefit the both of us. A win-win situation, if you may." Kyoya huffed, growing quite tired of this bickering. He had expected hesitation from the brown-eyed girl, and certainly rejection, but he did not expect to be assaulted with questions regarding his motives.

Haruhi sighed dramatically and uncrossed her arms, exhausted for the umpteenth time that day and overwhelmed with the sudden declaration. Could it be called a declaration? He did say that it was more like a partnership, but… What was Kyoya-senpai up to? She knew he never did anything that would not come as a benefit to himself in the end. What would he want her to do, and why? Was he in cahoots with the twins? Perhaps they somehow put him up to one of their various shenanigans... She racked her brain for theories, starting to wish she had accepted his tea offer. It could probably calm her nerves. Who knew that speaking to the spectacled analytical shadow could become so stressful? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous was this situation that she was in. No way in hell would she-

The Shadow King interrupted her thoughts, clearing his throat most importantly. "Fujioka, I understand that this may come as a shock to you," he adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses, "and I definitely do not expect you to answer without some forethought, but I'm sure that with time, planning, and benign negotiation that-"

"Okay," said Haruhi.

Kyoya stopped. "'Okay' what?"

"Okay, I accept your proposal," she shrugged.

Stunned at her sudden approval of his extreme plan, Kyoya placed his hand that was still on his glasses over his mouth and glimpsed away briefly, suddenly finding his armoire in the far corner of his room to be most interesting. He put his hand down, regaining his composure. "Are you certain? I mean, don't you want to first discuss what this means and what you'll have to do?…"

"Nah, it's okay. I accept," she said. "Though you're acting really weird today, Senpai," Haruhi gave a small smirk. "Now, this was a nice little visit and all, but I really have to get going now. Got laundry to do." Haruhi stood.

"Right, of course. Um, ask the butler with a nametag plate that reads 'Hayato' at the end of the hallway to escort and drive you home," he instructed, still a bit flustered.

"Okay. Goodbye, talk to you tomorrow, Kyoya-senpai." She bowed and left the room.

Kyoya sat in lonesome silence. Haruhi, who is ever so cautious and never the type to jump headfirst into things without a prior consideration of the amount of work or responsibilities she will be forced to face; Haruhi, the deadpan, uninterested, doe-eyed commoner whose only passion in life seemed to be her studies and sales on food… had surprised the spectacled man yet again.

He took out his trusty black notebook and pen from his uniform suit pocket and scribbled down some abstract thoughts. He closed it and took another sip of his tea. "You're always such an intriguing one, Haruhi."

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><p>* * * (Music Room 3, 4th period) * * *<p>

It was the next afternoon and after the first hour of "hosting", Haruhi stood, ready to shake the dust off of her feet. "Sorry it was so short, girls. But I have to go now," Haruhi said with her signature natural smile. The girls pouted, upset.

"Why? Where are you going, Haruhi-kun?" They asked, catching the ears of a certain violet-eyed host club member. He whisked over to stand in front of his adorable coworker.

"Yes, Haruhi! Where are you going? We still have one hour left!" Tamaki whined and pouted just like the girls.

"I've done my job, Senpai. Now let me go. I have some studying to do in the library." Haruhi made for the door before Hikaru and Kaoru intercepted.

"I don't think so~ You can't leave half-time," they scolded. "We haven't even gotten to play with you yet!"

"Let her go," said Kyoya, who was seated in his usual spot and typing away on his black laptop. "She's done her share for the day. Take care, Fujioka," he waved her off.

Thanks, Kyoya-senpai. Bye, guys," Haruhi said before pushing the twins aside and waltzing out of Music Room 3. The doors shut behind her loudly and the three boys simultaneously turned to face the shadow king with suspicious expressions.

"Mother," Tamaki demanded, referring to Kyoya's position in the host club family. "Why does Haruhi get to leave early?"

"We made arrangements," he answered, eyes never leaving his work. "She now has another job."

"What do you mean, 'another job'?" asked Hikaru.

"Yeah, I thought personal jobs weren't allowed at this school, anyway," added Kaoru.

"No need to worry, I'm taking care of things," Kyoya said with a knowing grin.

"No fair! _I'm_ the president of this club! _I'm_ the king! _I'm_ the one that gets to decide how many hours she works! In fact, I'm going to lengthen her time! It's three hours now! Haruhi deserves more time with Daddy!" Tamaki decided, dramatically planting his hands on his hips so all could admire his gorgeous power and authority.

"Woah, hold up, Milord. You can't do that. The school gives us a certain time frame for clubs. We can't just go and lengthen it," Kaoru said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"And anyway," Hikaru agreed with his brother, "isn't that being a bit greedy? Haruhi might need that time to do… I dunno, important commoner stuff."

Tamaki about blew a fuse. "What could possibly be more important than spending time with me? I mean, what do you think these lovely ladies are here for!?" he yelled, gesturing towards his patient customers, awaiting his return.

"I wonder what's wrong with Tamaki-kun," whispered one of the girls, concerned.

"I think 'Mommy' is keeping something from 'Daddy' again," replied another girl, giggling into her manicured hand.

Kyoya closed his laptop and stood with a heavy sigh. "Please do not yell, Tamaki. It's quite unsightly. And just because Haruhi's hosting hours have lessened doesn't mean yours have, also. Don't neglect your lovely maidens, all right?" Kyoya gave his close friend a small pat on the back and made for the door handle. "There is something I must retrieve from the library as well. I will return shortly." With that, he left the room.

"So cool!" his fans squealed.

"What's going on? Where did Kyo-chan and Haru-chan go?" Hunny asked, prancing up to the scene.

"I don't know and I don't like it one bit!" Tamaki grumped, his eyes shooting daggers at the music room doors that let his precious daughter get away. "There is definitely something fishy going on here and I intend to find out what it is!"


	3. Chapter 3: A Peaceful Companion

**A/N: Okay, everybody. Please take a seat; we need to talk. No, you're not in trouble... but I might be!**

**You see, even though I tend to stray away from fics with OCs, I decided to put one in mine. Why? Because I felt that as the story went on, Haruhi would need a female companion to sort and talk things out with. But I assure you, this OC will become loveable and will in no negative way interfere with the main pairing.**

**Sorry for the interruption! I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

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><p>* * * (Suoh Manor, after school) * * *<p>

Tamaki Suoh sat hugging his knees, pouting in his house's sitting room. "It's not fair. Everyone else gets a lot more time with her than I do."

"Muttering to yourself again, I see," observed Michelle, Tamaki's younger sister. She had long, wavy brown hair and enchanting violet eyes very much like her brother's. "What's the trouble this time?" Michelle plopped down next to him. "Is this about Haru-chan again?" She was in the same class as Haruhi and the Hitachiin twins, so she often heard both sides of the story; her brother's and Haruhi's. This wasn't the first time her brother had come home to sulk about something Haruhi-related.

"How did you- Well, yes, it is! All of a sudden, she only has to spend one hour at the club! It's the only time I get to spend with her…"

"That's strange. Do you know why her hours were cut short?" Michelle asked.

"Well, it seems that she has another job of some sort. Kyoya knows something but he refuses to tell me."

"I'll look into it. And don't pout so much. You'll give yourself wrinkles!" Michelle laughed, poking her older brother's cheek.

"Thank you, sister!" Tamaki sat up a bit straighter and struck one of his famous poses. "And yes, you are right! I wouldn't want to ruin such a handsome face! Long live my foreign beauty!"

Michelle rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Oh, brother."

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><p>* * * (Ouran Library 2, after school) * * *<p>

Haruhi flipped to the next page in her World History textbook, her eyes skimming the contents but not really retaining any of the information. Chin in hand, she began doodling unintelligible shapes on what was supposed to be a note sheet. According to her plastic watch, this pattern had continued for about an hour and a half now. It was getting late and all the other students had long gone. Although she was frustrated with her inability to focus, she had a good reason for her mind being elsewhere.

Kyoya's flustered face at her sudden acceptance of his proposal was priceless, if she said so herself. No doubt she wore a similar expression when the offer escaped that usually cold mouth of his. She was going to refuse. It would have been the most appropriate response in that situation. After all, this was Kyoya. Who knew what kind of stuff she would end up doing?

However, she found herself rolling his words about in her mind_. "Your hosting hours will be cut in half…" _boy, did _that_ sound nice. A mere two hours of her day were spent dealing with the frivolous and mischievous antics of the host boys, but honestly, it was two hours too many. She would much rather prefer to be studying in peace. But the thing that caught her attention more than anything was the fact that this would be _"another plan of payment"_. The host club deal was fun on occasion, but she often times found herself wishing there was a faster way to pay off her debt. A job outside of school was out of the question, considering that Ouran did not permit it, so she would end up having to wait until after graduation to get herself any kind of steady income. Her father worked hard and did very well taking care of them both, but Haruhi was the type who preferred to be self-reliant as soon as possible. Independence was not an option for someone in such a heavy debt. If only she hadn't broken that damned vase…

Therefore, Kyoya's proposal seemed to be the best option. She knew he was careful with money, but he was not at all stingy. They weren't _really _getting married, she assumed. Besides, she trusted him enough that he wouldn't make her do anything detrimental to her health or against her moral values. Of that, she was sure. What kind of things she would end up having to do, however… not so much.

A great yawn escaped her petite lips as she clicked her mechanical pencil to where the lead was way past the safe-to-write-with point. Kyoya was supposed to show up any minute. He had come after her in the library later in the day to inform her that there would be a meeting between them to discuss the terms and conditions of their agreement. It sounded tedious but Haruhi supposed it was necessary, just as it was with any job.

As if on cue, the grand library doors opened and Haruhi looked up from her textbook to see the spectacled man take a seat in front of her.

"Afternoon, Kyoya-senpai," she said, pushing her papers into a _"neat enough"_ stack on the side of the table. "So, I understand I'm going to be your partner and all, but… what is it that I will be doing, exactly?"

"Has it bothered you that much? You not knowing of what your job consists of?" Kyoya looked slightly amused. Playful, even.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop being a tease and tell me already," Haruhi was not in the mood for being toyed with. Was she ever?

His serous face returned. "I already have it all planned out; but for now, let's just start with the first round of work, shall we?" He opened his schoolbag to take out a large and important-looking black binder. "Out of all the members of this club," Kyoya continued, "you are the only one I would trust with such a task. The only one suitable."

"Here it comes…" Haruhi gulped in anticipation.

The male's eyes met hers, a small smirk forming on his ivory lips. "So, Miss scholarship student… Although it may not be your favorite, I presume you might good at this sort of thing?"

_What?_

Faster than Hunny-senpai could inhale his favorite cake, Kyoya whipped out-

...various checks and billing papers.

_ …__Is he fricken' kidding me right now? _Haruhi was tempted to drop her head on the table in shocked disbelief.

Kyoya turned the papers to where Haruhi could see them clearly. "Usually I am the only one who handles this, but I figured you could help me by balancing the books for the club."

Math? Oh, she could do math. The fact that she would be dealing with higher sums of money was no sweat. She could do anything from organizing a billionaire's spending habits to figuring out how much change should be given to a kid who just bought an ice cream cone. Haruhi felt like patting herself on the back for taking the risk to accept this job only to find out that it was a lot easier than she'd expected. She chose to ignore the fact that Kyoya had said that this was only the beginning and smiled.

"You want me to help you budget? No problem, Kyoya-senpai, I can do that!" Really, any activity that had to do with quiet time was welcomed with open arms to the girl.

"Glad to hear it," Kyoya nodded. "You see, I thought this through. You will have practice with math; plus, if you finish early, the extra hour in your day will provide you with time to study for your tests and classes. As for me, this will most certainly be a weight off of my shoulders. I will have more time to myself as well. Perhaps with less work, I, too can escape the frivolities of the clubroom and study myself. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I just sat down to read a book of my own interests. By any means, it benefits us both, you see." Kyoya closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, looking, in his own way, just as relieved as Haruhi that she's accepted this task.

Haruhi snickered, feeing in much higher spirits. "Gosh, Senpai. It's not often that I hear you talk this much."

One of his onyx eyes opened hearing this. "…I was giving instruction."

"Not entirely. You told me some things that you were interested in doing also," she grinned.

Both eyes were closed again. "Well, you might as well get used to it. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on, and communication is a crucial part of a successful relationship," Kyoya pushed up his glasses, trying to justify his careless action.

"Sure, Senpai. Do you ever talk to the other club members this much?"

"With Tamaki… Quite a bit, actually. He so eagerly decided for himself when we met back in middle school that I was to be his "bon ami". I rarely admit it, but it happened the way he wanted it to. But with all of his wild ideas and flamboyant personality… Let's just say that there isn't enough medication in the world or doctors in any of my family's hospitals that could get rid of the headache that follows after being with him for so long."

Noticing that the girl seated in front of him found this to be a topic of her interest, he continued; now gazing up at the library's handsomely tiled ceiling. "As for the others... the twins like to get into all sorts of trouble that, frankly, I'd rather not get involved in. Haninozuka's conversations tend to only consist of bunnies, cake, and flowers… and Morinozuka doesn't have much to say about anything. You, however…"

Haruhi looked up suddenly, hearing that she was being addressed.

"You, although a commoner, are rational, level-headed, and down to earth. It's actually… nice… to be able to hold a conversation without worrying about saying something that could damage my family's reputation."

"So basically, I'm nothing special so you can afford to let your guard down, huh?"

"I didn't say that," Kyoya replied hastily.

"Yeah, okay." Haruhi rolled her eyes a bit. Still, it was nice that Kyoya found her so easy to talk to. "Thank you for the complement, then."

"…It wasn't a compliment, just thinking out loud."

Again, rare for Kyoya. "Anyways, fine. I'm good with doing the budgeting," she confirmed once again.

"Here you are, then," Kyoya pushed the papers closer to the girl. "Show me what you're capable of, Miss Fujioka." He stood to leave, but not without quickly ruffling Haruhi's brown hair.

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><p><strong>AN: This chapter was a bit slow but it's important that Kyoya and his new "partner" have time to talk peaceably. Things will pick up a bit in the next one, for sure.**

**Leave reviews if you have any thoughts! Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Working Hard, Hardly Working

"Looks like that's about it," Haruhi mumbled to herself, putting her handy yet inexpensive calculator on top of the club's now balanced budgeting papers. She rested her head against her living room wall, filled with a feeling of accomplishment. It was quite a bit of work, and she was impressed that Kyoya was able to manage the club's money all by himself while simultaneously showing off his "coolness" to his customers. He never complained about the workload and instead wordlessly went along with the antics of the club's president. Tamaki must mean a lot more to him than he was willing to admit.

Something that caught her interest was the stuff that Kyoya used to raise the club's revenue. Things such as doujinshi, photos, and fan magazines were sold and bought regularly from a website Kyoya set up. Haruhi just couldn't imagine him producing such goods with his own hands. Was it Renge, perhaps…?

The door to the Fujioka apartment opened with a flutter. "I'm home, Haruhi~!"

"Huh? You're home early, Dad."

"It's because I missed you so much!" Ranka grabbed and cuddled his adorable daughter that he loved so dearly. "I didn't get to see you hardly at all yesterday, so I was so glad to be lucky enough to get off work and be with you~"

"Haha. Alright, Dad," Haruhi instinctively squirmed out of his affectionate hold. "It's good to see you, too. Though I didn't make dinner yet…"

"That's alright, I picked up a bento from the convenience store on my way home. Oh? What's this? Homework?" Ranka picked up the papers from the low table Haruhi was sitting at. "Wha- such large numbers!" He stumbled back dramatically. "Where on earth did you get this kind of money from?! Buying costumes… and desserts… and selling doujinshi? Well, that's definitely unexpected of you, but I guess if it brings this kind of money home, then Daddy is proud of you!"

"No, dad. This isn't my money," she gently grabbed the papers away from her confused and endearing parent. Luckily, they weren't wrinkled. "There's no way I could single-handedly earn this much money. And even if I did, I would have told you about it."

"So… who's money is it, then?"

"The club's."

"Oh the Host Club's? That makes sense. Still, why are you the one handling the money?"

"I got a job recently," she began putting the papers into the safer location of her schoolbag. "I'm his partner now, and I'll probably just do odd jobs. But for now, I'm helping him manage the club's funds."

"'Him'? Who are we talking about?"

"Kyoya-senpai."

"I see…" Ranka put his hand to his chin in deep consideration. "Well, if it's him, then it's fine!" He decided. "Kyoya's a good boy and he still calls me whenever I want to check up on you. It sure is sweet of him to help you out like this! I'll be sure to thank him later!"

"I don't know if 'sweet' is the word I'd use for it… And I forgot you two talked regularly."

"That's right! Because I wanna know if you're doing well in school but you never tell me anything! So I can rely on Kyoya for the goods!" Ranka giggled.

"Tch. How annoying..."

"What was that, dear?"

"Nothing," said Haruhi quickly. "If you already got something to eat, then I'm going to head for bed," she stood to leave.

"But- Haruhi! I have UNO! Papa got off early; won't you play with me?"

"Fine," she smiled with a tired sigh. "Just one game."

* * *

><p>* * * (Music Room 3, next day) * * *<p>

Haruhi placed a hand on the doorknob to the clubroom and sighed. Time for job number one. She opened the large pink doors to find the Host Club in their famous welcoming positions. They were adorned with white lab suits no doubt made of the finest material, stethoscopes, otoscopes, tongue depressors, and all that medical good stuff. "Figures," said Haruhi. "It's been a while since the last cosplay event."

"Oh, it's Haruhi," exclaimed Hikaru, and was the first to break formation in order to make his way over to her.

"Really, do you guys just stand there, pose, and wait for me to walk in the room? And the roses that fly out at me when I open the doors become quite obnoxious…" she nagged, plucking a red petal off of her shoulder.

"We pose like that for any guest that comes in first. Boss thought that it would be exciting. Besides, it's not our fault you always come in late."

"Haruu-chaannn!" Hunny glomped her in a hug. "How do you like my doctor costume? Do I look really official?" He spun around to demonstrate his officialness.

"Mhm. It looks pretty great on you, Hunny-senpai. You too, Mori-senpai."

"Thanks," Mori replied solidly.

The customers were beginning to fill up the room quite nicely now, so Haruhi made for her area. None of her personal customers had arrived yet, so she spent her time observing how her coworkers worked their doctor theme.

Hikaru was adjusting his brother's tie. "Geez. This thing keeps getting all crooked."

"Uhm… Hi-Hikaru…" Kaoru looked away, his cheeks lightly flushed.

"Huh? What's the matter, Kaoru?" Hikaru took the face of his other half gently between his thumb and index finger. "You look like you have a fever. You aren't sick, are you?!"

"No, that's not it…"

"If you aren't feeling well, you need to tell me," Hikaru looked down at Kaoru, his eyes filled with sincerity. "I promised to take care of you. I'm the only one who can do it, because the other doctors don't know your body like I do… Besides, I just can't bear it when you're in pain..."

"Hikaru…!" The younger twin pulled his brother into a warm and loving embrace.

Well, it looked to Haruhi that the girls were just eating that scene up. She turned her head to see how the two eldest hosts were doing.

"Hunny-kun, are you alright?!" One of the girls exclaimed.

The boy in question sniffled and picked himself up from the floor. I-I'm fine. I just scraped my knee a bit on the tile when I fell," he assured them with a smile, contradicting the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes.

"Mitsukuni." A tall Mori stood behind him, picking the smaller boy up and placing him in a nearby chair. He rolled the leg of the boy's pants up and began to bandage it with care. "You need to be more careful."

"Takashi!" Hunny looked down at his bandaged knee. He gave a huge smile at what he saw. "You even picked out a cute one with bunnies on it! Thank you! I feel better already!"

Dr. Mori nodded, handing his shota patient a red lollipop and all seemed to be good in the world… For those two, anyway.

There was only one more person who could be making the best of the doctor cosplay… Haruhi turned once more to see what kind of cheesy lines the king would come up with. Looked like he was using props this time.

One of the girls had the stethoscope in her ears with the chestpiece on Tamaki's chest. "Your heart… it's beating so quickly!" she gasped.

Tamaki placed his hand over the girl's and pressed it more firmly into his chest. "It really is such a problem…" He began, looking troubled, "when I'm with a lady as pretty as yourself… I feel like I can't breathe… and then when I think that I'm finally cured, you beam a smile so bright that my head starts racing all over again! Would this be what you call… lovesickness?"

"Afternoon, Haruhi!" called a voice.

"Ah! Afternoon, Miss Momoka. It's good to see you again. You too, Kimiko," Haruhi replied, seeing that her customers had finally arrived. The girls sat and looked at Haruhi quizzically.

"Where's your doctor outfit, Haruhi-kun? I was really looking forward to seeing it," said Momoka, adjusting one of her small hair buns.

"Yeah, I bet you'd look so handsome…" Kimiko agreed.

"Ah, well, I don't have a costume is all," Haruhi chuckled nervously.

"Oh yes, you do!" called an overly enthusiastic voice from behind. Crap. It looks like she wouldn't get away unscathed this time.

Tamaki pulled his victim out of his seat with a quick "just a moment" to Haruhi's cute clients, and led her away.

"What is it this time, Senpai?"

"I have something for you~!" He pulled a costume out from behind his back. "I've decided! You're going to wear this!"

"Is that… a nurse costume?"

"Yes!" he beamed. "And you will look so precious! Look, it's even got a matching hat!"

Haruhi ran an exasperated hand over her face. "I keep telling you this, Senpai. I appreciate that you take the effort to pick stuff out for me, but I'm a dude here, remember? I'm not going to waltz around in something so girly; probably ever. Now put that mess away before someone sees it and misunderstands."

Tamaki wasn't having it. "Mamaaa! Haruhi is using those dirty boy words again!"

The devil Hitachiins overheard this and came rushing over to poke fun. "Is this a sexy nurse costume? Ooh~ how scandalous…"

"It's not sexy, you idiots! It's petite yet professional! Now get Haruhi to a changing room!"

"Roger!" they saluted.

"I said I wasn't going to wear it! Ugh, great! Now people are looking because you guys are being too noisy!" Haruhi snatched the nurse costume away from him before more damage could be done. "Quit it, you guys! I need to get back to my paying customers and- What? You think something's funny, Kyoya?!" she stormed over to where the dark-haired man was standing. Only his eyes were smiling but she could sense a great amusement coming from his direction.

"Alright, everyone. That's enough." He spoke up. "Fujioka cannot wear the nurse costume in front of the customers for obvious reasons so there's no use forcing anyone to do anything."

"But-" Tamaki began to complain.

"Perhaps next time, Sir."

"Next time?!" Haruhi glared up at Kyoya in disbelief.

He gave her a discreet mischievous grin in return.

Tamaki sulked off, muttering something about "One of these days…", and Hikaru called his brother so that they could go back to their places.

"I don't know if I should thank you or not…" said a skeptical Haruhi.

"You're welcome," he replied anyway.

Haruhi sighed. At least this was over. Until the next day, that is…

"I trust you've finished your paperwork?"

"Oh, yes I did. It wasn't difficult at all."

Kyoya nodded. "Good. Just hand them to me later in the library. And if you did a considerable job, which I'm sure you did, you'll see your first paycheck as soon as this Friday."

"Really? Thanks, Senpai!" Haruhi smiled at the thought of money. True, she knew it would just end up going to pay off the vase, but money was money and it felt good to have earned some. That reminded her... "Say, Kyoya-senpai? I noticed that you sell doujinshi and fan magazines related to the club members. I'm curious; who is it that draws those?"

"That's a good question…"

Of course she wouldn't get a real answer. Why did she even bother asking?

"Though the girls do pay a lot for those sorts of things. It really is useful. To keep up with Tamaki's lavish spending habits, that is. I'll need to incorporate the costs of the doctor outfits and medical instruments into next week's papers…"

"I have to admit, you look the most like a genuine doctor, Kyoya. It looks good on you," Haruhi decided.

Kyoya paused. "Well, naturally. My family does run a multitude of hospitals, if you remember. So I know what a good, reliable doctor looks like."

"Unlike Mr. Malpractice with his cheesy stethoscope tricks over there?" Haruhi joked.

Kyoya chuckled. "Him, and the Queer Quack Docs over there," he replied, pointing to the twins.

Haruhi laughed out loud. "Pfft. Okay, okay. Stop it! We need to stop teasing them like that!" she said, still laughing. "That's horrible, Kyoya."

"You started it."

"You made it worse," she retorted.

"But you thought it was funny."

"I did not."

"You're still laughing!"

Haruhi laughed again. "Fine, you got me."

An arm was suddenly placed around Kyoya's neck. "What's going on over in this neck of the woods?" asked Kaoru, suspicious of the airy exchange.

"I was just about to go back to work," said Haruhi. She walked off to tend to her poor forgotten girls.

Kaoru let go of Kyoya. He studied his cold face for a bit, then looked at the back of the retreating Haruhi. He grinned, patted Kyoya on the back, and left to get back to his own station.

* * *

><p>* * * (Music Room 1, an hour later) * * *<p>

Michelle placed her Stradivarius violin carefully down in its case and proceeded to answer her ringing phone. "Yes, Kaoru?"

"Hello, Michelle. You wanted me to report any suspicious activity regarding Haruhi?"

"That's right. Brother has been sulking and Haruhi hasn't had much time after school for us to spend our usual time together. So, naturally, I'm worried."

"Yeah, she left early again today."

"Figures."

"And I noticed something that I think you'll find very interesting," he grinned thorough the phone.

"You don't say…?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've always wanted to write a hosting scene for each of the club members. In the show, those naughty Hitachiins were always my favorite to watch. (So steamy!) Also, Kyoya really does sell doujins and fan magazines. I find that slightly hilarious. Ja ne!**


	5. Chapter 5: Astute as Always

**A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the wait, guys. Life hit me pretty hard but I finally managed to get back on track. Forgive me?**

**With that said, here's the new chapter!**

* * *

><p>* * * (Class 1-A, next day) * * *<p>

The much-anticipated bell for lunch finally rang, and many chattering students made for the room's exit.

"Are you going to come to the cafeteria with us, Haruhi?" asked the Hitachiins.

Haruhi shook her head. "You two ask every time and the answer is always the same. It's noisy and there's nothing I can afford there, anyway."

"No harm in asking. Who knows, you might surprise us one day," Hikaru shrugged. "Let's go, Kaoru."

"Are you coming, Michelle?" asked the younger twin.

"No, I'm going to eat here in the classroom with Haru-kun," she replied, turning to her friend's desk to face her. "Next time for sure, kay, Kaoru?"

"Right, I got you. See you two later, then." Kaoru sent Michelle a discreet but knowing grin before the boys left the classroom.

Haruhi opened her bento box and broke her chopsticks. "So what is it, Michelle?" she asked with a mouthful of rice.

"Eh?" Michelle responded innocently.

"I can tell you want to ask something."

"How did you know?" Michelle asked, though not all that surprised that her friend had caught on so quickly.

Haruhi pointed at her with her chopsticks. "Puppy dog eyes. You and your brother both have that same look on your face when you want something."

Michelle laughed. "I never noticed that I did that."

"Happens a lot." The short-haired one said simply, putting a nicely seasoned tamagoyaki in her mouth.

"Commoner's bento… so cute," Michelle mumbled, eyeing her friend's lunch.

"So what is it?"

"Oh, I heard you got a job, Haruhi!"

Haruhi smiled at this and put her chopsticks down; a rare motion for her during the lunch hour. "I did," she nodded proudly. "It's easy, too. I just have to do math and I come out with a very nice paycheck. Plus I don't have to work as much in the Host Club."

_Math, huh…?_ "That sounds nice! Congratulations!" Michelle gave her two thumbs up. "But Haruhi…" she continued, "don't you miss having the club to kick back and have fun every now and then~?"

Haruhi shrugged. "It's not like I've left permanently. Besides, unlike you and the rest of you rich people, I didn't come to Ouran for 'fun', but to have the best education possible. No offence."

"That's not a very cute way of thinking…" sighed Michelle.

"I'm not trying to be cute, I want to be practical."

Michelle began to draw small circles on her friend's desk with her manicured fingernails, thinking of how to choose her next words carefully. "Haruhi… I understand you're the scholarship student. And I'm certainly not trying to undermine the importance of studying, but you need to have a healthy amount of fun in your life, too…"

"Well," Haruhi said, "my new job is bound to become… interesting."

"You don't say…?" _Bingo._ "So, tell me, Haru-kun... what about a job concerning math will become interesting? Is it the job itself, or the person you work for…?"

Haruhi opened her mouth to explain, but stopped herself, abruptly shutting it again. Was she supposed to keep it a secret? Kyoya had never given her the instruction to keep quiet, but it somehow seemed like something that should be kept between them. Why was that? Because it sounded like a proposal? Well, it was a proposal, wasn't it? If that was the case, Tamaki-senpai might flip…

"Haru," Michelle poked her dazed friend. "Tell me later. The bell for fourth period just rang."

"Oh, okay," said Haruhi, as she closed her neglected lunch, still lost in thought. "I'll see you later."

On her way to Music Room 1 for her own club, Michelle sent Kaoru a short message: _I have gained some information regarding Haruhi's mysterious new work. Let me know if I can meet you after school._

* * *

><p>* * * (Ootori Estate after school, Friday) * * *<p>

"Tea?" Kyoya offered. "I assure you that it's free and untainted."

"Sure, I'll go ahead and take a cup," Haruhi agreed, remembering that she had regretted denying his refreshments the last time. She took a sip, looking around Kyoya's bedroom. "So what am I here for again?" she asked.

"Is it so bad, being here?" he asked, sipping tea himself.

"No. Just that I can do my work from home."

"That's convenient for you, I'm sure. But you will not always have the leisure of working in the comfort of your home. As of now, however, it doesn't matter to me either way."

Haruhi said nothing about this remark, but made a mental note to enjoy her remaining moments of solitude.

"I brought you here for this. Surely, you hadn't forgotten?" Kyoya pulled out a check and handed it to the girl in front of him. "Your first paycheck. I said I would give it to you today, didn't I?"

"Thanks," she said as she received her reward, her brown eyes showing more enthusiasm than her plain voice had admitted. She looked at the amount written in elegant handwriting. _Nice,_ she thought to herself. But this wasn't the same number that they had agreed on earlier… "Wait, Kyoya-senpai. I hate to say it, but I think there's a mistake."

"Yes?"

"It's too much. And anyway, shouldn't you just use this to help pay off my debt, instead of giving me the check?"

"I wanted you to see for yourself how much you have earned. And there is no mistake."

"What? But-"

"It's as simple as this," began Kyoya, adjusting his glasses and uncrossing his legs to lean in, showing how truly serious this matter was. "From the check that you are holding, I will deduct what you have earned working for me and put it with the money you have earned from hosting, in order to help pay off the vase incident. However…" Kyoya paused, looking at Haruhi sincerely. "The rest is for you to keep. That is why there is a surplus."

Haruhi looked at the check again. She understood his words but failed to grasp his motive. "And why are you giving me more money? That's very unlike you, Senpai."

"You have worked very hard and with the utmost efficiency; with no errors and everything is where it should be. That gives me peace of mind, knowing that I will not have to carefully look over what you've done to search for mistakes. I guess you can say that not only have you proven yourself more than capable of the task, but you have earned my trust as well."

"I see. Hey, you didn't expect me to tamper with the amounts or anything, did you?" she asked.

"Of course not," he replied briskly. "It's nice to have someone aid me in my work while doing it in a way that I myself would. For example, I could ask Tamaki to do something like this, but although he is very intelligent, he can be careless."

"Careless is an understatement," she chuckled.

"Besides…"

"There's more?"

"You work for a good reason."

"What?"

"Your motivation to work is different from most students'."

"How so? I want money, that's it."

Kyoya almost smiled. "You don't want money, you need it."

"So this is like charity, then? You pity me as a commoner?"

"Incorrect. Don't get the wrong idea." Kyoya sighed, already tired of having to explain everything. "Many commoner students that get jobs do so because they want spending money; for clothing or gadgets and other things of their own selfish interests. But you do it for another reason," he calculated. "You want to be independent. You want to be on your feet and follow your dreams in your own way, by your own power. That was your whole reason for coming to Ouran, or am I wrong?"

"No, you're right," Haruhi nodded, looking down at her tea that was starting to lose its warmth.

"I find that very commendable," Kyoya complimented, his voice firm and sure of himself. "You worked hard, and for an honorable reason, so I am giving you a bonus. That is all there is to it." Kyoya relaxed in his sofa once again. "I can't believe that we talked this long about a few extra numbers on a paycheck…" he took his glasses off and ran a hand over his face.

"Wow. That's really kind of you. Thanks, Kyoya-senpai!" And there it was. Haruhi's rare, genuine, and beaming smile. The gem of a smile that had captured her loyal customers; the smile that had the King of the Host Club so often leaping with admiration to cover her in snuggles and compliments of all sorts. And it was there for Kyoya and Kyoya alone. Although she was still dressed head to toe in boys' clothing, the way her eyes sparkled with appreciation and delight from his small gesture was quite captivating. It was almost… cute?

_What on Earth am I thinking?_ Kyoya caught himself and cleared his throat. "This isn't kindness, Miss Fujioka. This is strictly business. I gave you extra as a reward but to also encourage more diligent work from you in the future. This will not become a common occurrence; I can tell you that."

Haruhi, still smiling, only laughed. "Come on, Kyoya. I told you before that I see through your 'I only help people out of my own benefit' act. Really, it's okay to be nice. Nobody is going to look down on you for it."

"There is no 'act'. And I told you already-"

"-Remember that one day, when we were forced to shop together at that department store? When you were all grumpy and disheveled?"

Kyoya scowled at the memory. "I try not to."

"Well, you helped out that old lady who was about to be deceived by the vendor, even though the view of her ring was obstructed from where we were standing. You remember."

Kyoya remained silent, his arms crossed.

Haruhi continued. "Even if you did try to pass it off as something that you did just because she was rich, I saw through you then. And I still do now. Your intentions were pure. You have a strong sense of justice and you are very capable of unselfishly helping people."

"Why does it feel as if I've been proven guilty for the same occasion twice…?" he sighed.

"Yeah, you're guilty of being a pretty good guy," she smiled again. "And you know a lot about art as well, huh? I have to say, I was pretty impressed."

Kyoya didn't know how to take her words. Those large eyes of hers could always see through his "cool guy" appearance and it was frustrating… yet at the same time, refreshing. "You're the ever so intuitive Haruhi, aren't you?" he moved to sip his tea again, only to find that it had become unacceptably cold. Had they been talking for that long? He stood from the couch. "Excuse me for a moment; I'm going to ask a butler to brew us a fresh batch."

"Oh, will I be staying a bit longer?" asked Haruhi.

He shrugged, indifferent. "That's up to you."

"Then… can I get some snacks, Mr. Nice guy?" her doe eyes turned playful.

"Don't push it."

* * *

><p>* * * (Hitachiin Mansion) * * *<p>

"That certainly is suspicious," agreed Kaoru, after hearing the information that  
>Michelle had gathered from her talk with Haruhi at lunch. "It's pretty unlike Haruhi to zone out in the middle of explaining something. Makes me wonder why she's trying to keep this job of hers all hush-hush," he laced his fingers behind his head and lay down on the couch, playfully propping his feet up on Michelle's lap, who was seated next to him.<p>

Michelle put her hand to her chin in a pose most like her brother's, too focused on her mind's multiple theories to notice Kaoru's mischievous action. "Yes. And we can definitely deduce that Kyoya has something to do with it. But it'll be too difficult to try and get information out of him; we'll have to go for Haruhi in this case."

"My brother can probably stew up a plan. He's good at that."

"Does he know yet?"

"Eh. He can be pretty dense at times. But I'll let him in on it. Anything related to Haruhi, he's interested in," Kaoru admitted. "Does your brother know yet?"

"He's the one that told me something was up in the first place. But you're the first person I've told my acquired info to. I'll tell him soon."

"Gotcha," Kaoru allowed himself a smirk, albeit only for a moment. "Hey…"

"What is it?"

"…I totally trust Kyoya. I know that he wouldn't make Haruhi do anything crazy. But the fact that she didn't tell you makes me a bit uneasy, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Michelle sighed. I'm typically not a nosy person, but I really do care for the welfare of Haruhi. It's not just about easing my curiosity."

Kaoru smiled. "You're a good friend."

Michelle put her hands on her cheeks merrily and grinned. "I know!"

"But I'll have you know that you'll probably end up having to play the bad guy in Hikaru's scheme."

Her grin fell and hands lowered. "You haven't even heard it yet. What makes you so sure?"

His gaze left Michelle's and went to the high ceiling, as if he was seeing some far-off situation. "I just feel it coming. So prepare yourself."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The next chapter will be quite entertaining. Hope you liked this one, though!**


	6. Chapter 6: All According to Plan

* * * (Music Room 3, Monday) * * *

As the girls began to pour through the large pink doors and settle down in their usual host's areas, the Hitachiins made a quick pit stop at the King's usual spot.

"We're going to borrow this guy for a bit, okay, ladies?" they said in unison, picking up their boss by grabbing underneath his arms and dragging him away.

"What are you two doing to me?! Let me go! I was in the middle of wooing maidens and exhibiting my handsome face-"

"We've got more important things to talk to you about, Boss."

The blubbering blond boy stopped and straightened himself out. "What is it?"

"It's about Haruhi," clarified the younger twin.

Hearing this, Tamaki about pounced on them. "Haruhi? Did you find out more about her job? Or why she won't cuddle with Daddy?!" he asked with anxious puppy-dog eyes.

"Uhh. I'm pretty sure that last one is self-explanatory…" Hikaru answered, a bit annoyed.

"But anyway," continued Kaoru, "we obviously want _more_ information about Haruhi's mystery job. So today, we are going to go right to the source."

"You are? How?"

"We came up with a delicious plan. It's the oldest trick in the book, but I'm sure she'll fall right in," Hikaru snickered.

Tamaki was curious yet cautious. "Okay, but… You guys better not hurt my Haruhi!"

"Who's gonna hurt Haru-chan?! I won't let them get away with it!" Hunny put on his grumpiest, most vicious face… which was actually quite terrifying.

"Where did you come from-?"

Kaoru interrupted his brother. "-Don't worry, Milord, Hunny-senpai. Haruhi is not going to get hurt. We'll just stir her up a bit and get more info, like I said before. I mean, aren't you guys worried also?"

"I just want my time with my precious daughter back! I know she misses me so!"

"Geez, like I said, Boss-!"

"How are you gonna do that, Kao-chan?" asked Hunny.

Just then the doors to the clubroom opened and an unexpected guest appeared. All at once, the oldest host understood the situation. He grinned at Kaoru knowingly and then ran towards the entrance. "Michelle-chaaan! What are you doing here at the Host Club? You hardly ever come visit us!" he grabbed the Lady Suoh in an adorable bunny-hug, making sure he was loud enough so that everyone in the room would notice her presence. The customers began to murmur amongst themselves. It was on very few occasions that the younger Suoh would visit her brother's club, as she was known to be so serious about her own.

Michelle saw all eyes on her, including those of her small Senpai. He was obviously trying to get a message through to her with his expression, and she caught on quickly.

"Hello, Hunny-senpai," she patted his head. "I'm here to see someone." It was a simple conversation between two people but it was purposefully spoken loud enough so that it caught the ears of everyone, whether they were particularly interested or not.

"Really~? Who is it? Tell me!"

"Well…"Michelle cupped her cheek in her hand and looked as bashful as she could. "I tried to ignore my feelings, but… I just couldn't get my mind off of him."

Suddenly, many of the girls in the room, a good number of them from Tamaki's area, came to circle around the blushing maiden in a giggling, squealing ruckus.

"No way, are you in love, Miss Suoh? I would have never guessed!"

"Indeed, how lovely!"

"Aww, I'm a bit jealous~! I bet no man can resist falling for you, Miss!"

"I hope it's not Mori-senpai!"

"You think it's Haruhi-kun? They are together quite a bit…."

"Who is it? You must tell us!"

Michelle smiled at all the darling girls that were making such a big deal about her new-found love interest. She wasn't exactly looking forward to doing this; Kaoru's bad omen of his brother's scheme had been eerily correct. But it was for the sake of a close friend! She weaved her way through the crowd most gracefully and made for a certain area of the clubroom.

"I haven't seen you in so long… Kyoya," she breathed, leaning over his table seductively.

The bespectacled man looked up from his black book with onyx eyes that flashed many different expressions. First was mild surprise at the fact that Michelle had come up to his table, or to the Host Club at all for that matter. Then there was great annoyance that this girl was bothering him, and these eyes searched her violet ones, as if to find her motive for being here and to try and figure out what it was she was up to. Then they lit up with a small and fake smile on his pale face, as he put on his "I am a cool host-type" personality and pulled out a chair for the Miss Suoh that had suddenly decided that she would be his next all-important customer.

"It certainly is nice to see you again, Michelle. It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said charmingly as she sat down. _"And what do you want?" _he asked her in a gruff undertone.

"I just couldn't stay away, Kyoya," Michelle decided to ignore the older man's demanding question. "I remembered all the fun times we used to have together when you would come over to the Suoh manor to visit my brother… And I wanted to see you again!" she giggled lightly and looked past the many heads to find Haruhi's.

"I see," Kyoya returned to his seat across from his new customer and started to move some papers out of the way. "Would you care for a dessert?"

"No thank you. Being able to talk to you one-on-one again is treat enough. If only I wasn't so involved with my orchestra club, I would be able to see you more often…"

"Isn't that a shame?" Kyoya responded, a little less gently. He looked up to see that many watchful eyes were still focused on the situation at his table and he smiled. "Don't let us hold you up. Please, resume what you were doing, everyone."

The people in the room did just so, but still kept one ear fixated on the unusual pair.

"In other words… 'Mind your own business', huh?" Michelle laughed quietly and stroked one of the lavender roses at the table.

"Michelle… what are you-"

"-Oh? What's this?" she picked up a paper with numbers on it. "This doesn't look like your handwriting, Kyoya. How curious…"

_So that's what this is,_ thought Kyoya. He grabbed the paper from her hands.

"So you're in love with Kyoya-kun, then Miss Suoh?" one of the girls asked from behind.

"Oh, don't say it so bluntly, you're making me blush!"

Meanwhile, a certain doe-eyed commoner had quite the incredulous look on her face.

"Is something wrong, Haruhi-kun?" asked Momoka.

Haruhi shook her head, ignoring the mildly annoying sting in her chest that resulted from the obvious flirting of her close friend with- "No, it's no big deal," she said more to herself than to her customers.

"Alright, if you say so." Momoka still couldn't help but notice that her crush looked upset. She attempted to change the subject. "Hey, Haruhi-kun, do you think you could teach me how to make some cupcakes later…? I'd like to make some for you, but I'm not very good at it, so…"

"Yeah, sure thing…" replied Haruhi, although it was obvious that she really wasn't paying much attention. She kept trying to tune into what Michelle and Kyoya were talking about.

"Can I come over to your house today after school, Kyoya-kun? So we can study together, just like old times?"

"I honestly do not know of what 'old times' you speak of," Kyoya was making a stack of his budgeting papers before the girl saw any more, although it was probably already too late. "And besides, I regret to inform you that I have a previous engagement."

"Oh? What kind of engagement?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"But I am concerned! It isn't a girl, is it?"

"Why does it matter?" Kyoya's cool mask was beginning to crack.

"So it is a girl, then." Likewise, Michelle looked more interested than heartbroken at this news. "Perhaps the girl who's handwriting I saw…?"

"What are you doing here, Michelle?"

Hearing her name, the girl looked up to see who had addressed her. It was exactly who she had hoped it would be.

"Good afternoon Haru-kun!" she beamed innocently.

"Are you bothering Kyoya-senpai?"

"What? No, I'm just visiting. And getting my money's worth for his affections. We were just talking about the days back in middle school; like when he got a kotatsu for my brother, but then fell asleep underneath it. It was so cute!"

No words escaped his lips but the look of displeasure on his face said more than enough.

"You never used to talk about Kyoya-senpai before," The boyish girl crossed her arms, now sounding more demanding than curious. "So why this all of a sudden? If I remember correctly, it seems like you always talk about Kaoru."

"Eh-" Michelle blushed for real this time, and Kyoya raised an eyebrow at this.

"Anyway, Michelle. If you did really like Kyoya, why didn't you tell me?"

"I was just too shy…"

"Oh, please," Haruhi rolled her eyes.

"…And afraid you'd be angry…"

"What? I'm not angry! Why would I be angry?"

"Oh? You sound kind of angry. And why is that? It's just Kyoya."

_What the hell?_ This girl… she was really pissing Haruhi off! But why should Haruhi get involved anyway? She didn't care. Michelle could do whatever she wanted.

Michelle turned back to Kyoya. "I'm sorry, Haru-kun… we can talk about it later." Well, at least _those_ words sounded sincere. "Fine, whatever," The host girl began to make her way back to her area when she heard Michelle start up again.

"Aww, I can't believe you, Kyoya. You didn't even defend me? When did you become such a bastard host? Then again, you never were really 'nice', were you? Always a fake…"

Haruhi whipped around in an instant, her usually indifferent eyes now filled with shock.

"That is quite enough, Michelle," Kyoya stood and adjusted his glasses. "If you are only going to be a nuisance, then I suggest you leave this instant."

Tamaki heard this and jumped from his seat. "Mother! You have no right to banish my sister from this club!"

If everyone wasn't already interested with what was happening at Kyoya's table, they certainly were now.

"You didn't hear what she just said, Senpai! And besides, Kyoya can't work like this." Haruhi explained.

"I'm sure it couldn't have been _that_ bad!" Hunny came up to the scene.

The annoying tingle inside Haruhi's chest from earlier now began to blaze and burn. "W-why are you guys taking her side? You didn't even-"

"Why are you taking Kyoya's side, of all people?" chanted the twins.

"Pretty suspicious," rumbled Mori, to the shock of everyone in Music Room 3. Suddenly, the sound of a powerful motor filled the room, and a large pillar began to spiral upwards dramatically from the floor.

"What's this? Is Haruhi, the commoner scholarship student, arguing with the Chairman's daughter? And over Kyoya?! 'Pretty suspicious' indeed! Might there be a secret relationship going on here? And with not only a maiden, but a _boy_ wanting to win Kyoya's affections as well? Oh, this is so juicy, I could eat four whole bowls of rice!"

"Nobody asked you to butt in, Renge!" Haruhi lashed out.

"I don't need an invitation; I'm the Host Club's manager!" Renge pouted from her pillar.

"Yea, self-proclaimed! We didn't even need a manager. You just wedged yourself in here and put your hands all over one of this club's members."

"And what member was that again? Oh, yeah. Kyoya, right?" Michelle smirked.

"Eh, you can have Kyoya! I'd miss being your customer, Haruhi. But I'd love to see a bit of that boy's love action!" Renge pulled out her camera, in case of said "action".

"You can't just give him away as if he was yours to begin with!"

"Yeah, silly Renge. Kyoya is mine," reminded Michelle.

"What-?"

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" chanted the twins.

"That's not helping! Shut up, you devils!" Tamaki absentmindedly grabbed bun-bun from the hands of his senior and chucked it at the Hitachiins, who scrambled away, tripping over furniture. The little blond lolita screamed in horror at the sight of his stuffed animal suddenly being airborne and ran to catch his beloved bunny. Mori yanked Hunny to safety, while the twins bickered and wrestled with the King; Renge recording everything with her camera and saying something about "ten bowls of rice".

Some of the customers ran towards the hosts in an attempt to break up the pandemonium, while others of the more cautious sort made for the exit. Michelle weaved her way through the mess she created just in time to see Haruhi storm out of the clubroom, with the Shadow King following after her.

* * *

><p>Haruhi couldn't remember the last time she felt so many emotions scrambling in her brain and chest all at once. She walked as quickly as her short legs could take her, as far away from the mess as she could. The fire of her insides that had once blazed furiously had done some significant damage that left her wanting to move faster, to walk off this unfamiliar pain.<p>

She was infuriated with the immaturity of her colleagues, hurt that her closest friend would not only keep secrets from her, but say such a horrible thing about Kyoya, and exhausted with the entire situation.

But more than anything, she was puzzled as to why she let something like this affect her so greatly. All she knew was that she was angry. Angry and betrayed. There just wasn't enough energy in her small frame to deal with the situation; not enough strength to handle this on her own. But she would have to.

"Haruhi."

Someone had called her name. There were footsteps behind her. She wanted to stop but her legs wouldn't let her. She had told them earlier to keep going until the pain ran out and they chose the worst time to be obedient. She made her way outside, to the courtyard, and continued walking still.

"Honestly, why won't you stop?" the voice sounded irritated, slightly out of breath, and… closer?

Haruhi turned a corner and leaned against the wall, finally coming to a halt. She breathed heavily, her stamina not even close to outlasting her will. And the footsteps were still coming. Couldn't they just leave her be? She was used to dealing with things by herself; she didn't want any kind words of consolation or pity. Finally, the footsteps stopped right in front of her.

"Not very athletic, are we?" Kyoya adjusted his glasses and looked down at the girl. "You look exhausted. What exactly were you running from? Besides me, of course."

"Everything," she answered simply, making a point to avoid his gaze. This whole thing was humiliating.

"I see," he chuckled.

Haruhi looked up at him in annoyance. "And just what is so funny?"

"It seems as if you let them get to you. And with the oldest trick in the book, too…"

"A _trick?_ Senpai, Michelle flat-out insulted you! And everyone was getting into our business… These rich people are such busybodies!"

"They have nothing better to do with their time. It's for that reason that the Host Club exists."

"And you-! Why was I the only one getting angry?"

"Pardon?"

"Michelle was totally getting on your nerves. I could see it! And for the rest of them to lay such accusations…"

Kyoya sighed. "Like I said, they were trying to get a rise out of you. And they succeeded. You blew up just like they wanted you to. No doubt this was because they were curious about our relationship. I knew they wouldn't sit still for long. Especially Michelle and the twins. They care a great deal about you, you know."

"What-? Are you telling me that it was all just an act?"

"Precisely."

Haruhi let this sink in. An act? Because they were concerned? True, she neglected to tell them why she was disappearing so often recently. That, and the usual time she would spend with Michelle after school was now nonexistent… She felt mild relief, and then anger, though not the same type as before.

"Those idiots!" the back of her head hit the wall. "They went too far! Way too far!"

"I have to agree with you there. The Hitachiins are the "devils". They did something similar to you before when they fought with each other, remember? And Michelle can be quite the sadist."

"Those three are going to get it…" she snarled.

"Though I was surprised how much you let your feelings cloud your judgment. I'm sure that's a part of the show they weren't expecting."

"Feelings?"

"Oh? Are you saying you don't have any? You seemed very upset in my defense. You really didn't have to stick up for me like that."

Haruhi looked up at him again. "And let them talk crap about you? Fake or not, don't think I'm going to let that happen, Kyoya-senpai."

"Oh, my. What is this…?" Kyoya leaned forward and studied his partner's face carefully. "How interesting…"

"Back up, you're too close!" she pushed him away, turning her head.

He moved back, a smirk tugging at his face.

"A-anyway, you didn't have to come after me."

"I know."

There was an awkward moment of silence between the two, as they listened to the birds call out to each other, and let the summer breeze rustle up the trees and tug at their hair and uniforms. Finally, the elder cleared his throat and broke the silence.

"Come to my house after school again this afternoon," he said.

"Why?"

"'Why', you ask… Because I have a new job for you."

Haruhi knew this would come sooner or later. "What… kind of job?"

Kyoya, who had already began to walk back towards the building, turned and smiled at his partner. "You'll be my date to a party, of course."

* * *

><p>* * * (Music Room 3) * * *<p>

"Where did Haruhi go? I bet she hates me!" Tamaki whined back in the clubroom.

"Boss, stop sulking. That's not the issue right now," replied Hikaru.

"Yeah, you better pick up this mess of broken crap before Kyoya comes back and sees it," Kaoru shivered. "Here's a broom," he patted Tamaki on the back.

"Me?!" fumed Tamaki. "Which two were the ones who broke this stuff in the first place?"

"You're the one who threw bun-bun at us! It was self-defense!"

Having being reminded of the incident, Hunny sent an icy glare towards the King.

"S-sorry about that, Senpai…" he smiled sheepishly. "But still, can't we just call a janitor?"

Kaoru stretched and lay out on the couch. "Nah, that'll take too long. This needs to be done quickly."

"Yeah, better get cracking, Milord," added Hikaru.

"We _all_ clean," mumbled Mori with much force, shoving some garbage bags into the hands of the two devils.  
>"Kyo-chan's gonna be so scary when he sees this mess…" Hunny sniffled.<p>

At that, Tamaki was struck with great fear and determination and cleaned like his life depended on it.

"Hey, how come Michelle doesn't have to help?" asked Hikaru.

Kaoru looked up. "Are you alright over there?"

Michelle was sulking in a corner, much like her brother was earlier. "You guys are the worst…"

Kaoru chuckled. "I warned you. Hikaru has the worst ideas."

"What? My ideas are awesome!"

"Yeah, I meant bad meaning pure evil."

Hikaru smirked. "You know that's how I do."

"I mean, honestly!" Michelle continued. "Can't you come up with a plan that doesn't have to do with making someone angry?"

"What's the fun in that?"

"I was dying on the inside! Haru-kun probably hates me now…"

Kaoru crouched down next to her. "I wouldn't worry about it. Once she figures out that it was all for her sake, she'll forgive you."

"I hope so."

A twisted towel hit Kaoru's ass with a loud snap. "Get back to work!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Haruhi sure was pretty testy in this one. And that's about enough of the OC for now, don't you think? The next chapter will have more much-needed KyoHaru time.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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